Ridiculous!
Yuanshi had the opportunity to attain sagehood and could suppress Dijiang!
But they didn't!
Even so, they hated Dijiang to the very core!
So naturally, they were anxious right now!
After all, as the sovereigns of the Yao Clan, they had almost been killed by Dijiang today!
"Master, if you have a way, please help the two Emperors of the Yao Clan!"
Yuanshi spoke up as well!
Of course, he didn't genuinely want to help Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi. It was just that Dao Ancestor Hongjun had stated earlier that Dijiang could be suppressed without incurring punishment from the Great Dao!
He was still somewhat worried in his heart and intended to simply use the Yao Clan. After all, if those fellows succeeded, wouldn't he be spared from having to take action himself?
"Please help, Master!"
Laizi pleaded as well!
Only Mother Nuwa and Tongtian remained silent, their thoughts entirely unreadable!
"Hm, that Ancestral Witch Dijiang has indeed acted somewhat too arrogantly this time!"
Dao Ancestor Hongjun nodded, then looked at Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi. "The two of you may lack the opportunity to attain sagehood, but you possess the karmic fortune of the Yao Clan!"
"As long as you can annihilate the Wu Clan, even if that Dijiang is protected by the Golden Wheel of the Great Dao, lacking the karmic fortune of the Wu Clan will allow the two of you to use your racial karmic fortune to suppress him. However, the premise for all this is that you must be able to annihilate the Wu Clan!"
Dao Ancestor Hongjun spoke like an old fox!
"This!"
Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi felt a sudden surge of joy, but shortly after, their expressions darkened as they continued, "But Dao Ancestor, Dijiang's strength is simply too terrifying. Neither of us is a match for that fellow, let alone the other Ancestral Witches. This, this!"
The two of them were utterly depressed at that moment!
Before this great battle, they might not have feared Dijiang!
Yet having been through this conflict, a genuine sense of dread toward Dijiang had taken root in their hearts!
That fellow was an absolute monster!
"Hahaha, Dijiang possesses formidable strength, but is the strength of your Yao Clan truly weak?"
Dao Ancestor Hongjun let out a hearty laugh before continuing to Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi, "Things have reached this point, so I might as well tell you the truth. Your Yao Clan actually possesses an opportunity of your own. That opportunity lies within your River Diagram and Luoshu, Dijun! If you can comprehend this opportunity on your own, you will eventually be able to wield combat power comparable to a strike from a Saint!"
What Dao Ancestor Hongjun was referring to was naturally the grand Zhou Tian Star Formation!
Although according to the normal trajectory of the Heavenly Dao, the Zhou Tian Star Formation was not yet supposed to emerge into the world!
Yet now that a variable had already arisen on the side of the Wu Clan, he didn't mind offering the Yao Clan a little support. After all, weren't they his loyal lackeys?
"Comparable to a strike from a Saint?"
"The River Diagram and Luoshu?"
Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi exchanged glances, excitement written all over their faces as they immediately addressed Dao Ancestor Hongjun, "Thank you for your guidance, Dao Ancestor! Once we return, we shall thoroughly comprehend it. If we truly succeed in annihilating the Wu Clan, we will forever be grateful to Dao Ancestor!"
The two of them were beside themselves with joy at that moment!
A strike comparable to a Saint!
They were well aware of just how terrifying a Saint's strike truly was!
And if they could secure this opportunity!
Hmph!
The killing intent in their hearts toward Dijiang flared up once again!
"Hm!"
Dao Ancestor Hongjun nodded!
His gaze then shifted to Tongtian and Mother Nuwa as he asked, "The two of you have remained silent this entire time. Is there something you wish to ask me?"
"Master is truly wise!"
Tongtian nodded, immediately bowing as he spoke, "Master, I recall you previously mentioning that the method of slaying the three corpses and attaining the Dao through Laws bore no fundamental difference in strength. Yet observing Dijiang, he clearly possesses only the cultivation of a Mid-Hunyuan Golden Immortal, and yet he is exceptionally formidable. Could this—"
At this point, Tongtian did not continue!
Yet his meaning was abundantly clear—he was practically asking whether Master had been mistaken!
The others present also turned their gazes toward Hongjun!
"The method of slaying the three corpses and attaining the Dao through Laws are indeed no different. The reason you perceive Dijiang as formidable right now is merely because he is inherently an Ancestral Witch with immense innate strength. If he were not an Ancestral Witch, even a profound comprehension of the Laws would not yield such heaven-defying power!"
Hongjun sighed as he spoke. Naturally, this was entirely a fabrication, but he would certainly never admit the truth. After all, all of this was part of his grand scheme!
"So that's how it is. Thank you, Master!"
Tongtian nodded and refrained from asking further!
"Nuwa, and you?"
Dao Ancestor Hongjun then turned his gaze to Mother Nuwa. In truth, compared to the messy affairs with Yuanshi, Dijun, and the rest, Hongjun cared most about Nuwa. He needed to confirm whether Nuwa had developed suspicions regarding the Human Clan, as that was the crucial point!
"I do indeed have doubts, Master. That Dijiang spoke to me earlier regarding the Human Clan, and I do not quite understand!"
Mother Nuwa nodded and asked directly!
"Heh heh, that? That Dijiang merely intended to use the Human Clan to keep you in check, preventing you from interfering in the affairs between the Wu and Yao Clans. The Human Clan is nothing special; they are merely a weak and insignificant race!"
Dao Ancestor Hongjun spoke with a smile, though inwardly he hated Dijiang to the very bone!
That damned wretch had almost ruined his grand plan!
"Merely an ordinary race?"
Though Mother Nuwa still harbored doubts, she ultimately spoke, "Thank you for clearing my doubts, Master!"
"Hm!"
Dao Ancestor Hongjun nodded before addressing the assembled crowd, "Very well. If there is nothing else, you may all return for now. Go back and cultivate diligently—strength is everything!"
"Understood, we take our leave!"
Mother Nuwa and the others hurried away!
"A variable of the Heavenly Dao, the Golden Wheel of the Great Dao... Is this Dijiang merely an accident, or is someone deliberately scheming behind the scenes?"
"Yet if someone truly exists behind this, who could it be?"
Once they had all departed, Dao Ancestor Hongjun muttered to himself, his brow furrowed in deep thought!
......
Meanwhile, Dijiang was lounging comfortably atop a giant boulder within the Wu Clan settlement, enjoying the attentive attendance of the Great Witch Jiufeng while listening to Houyi and Kuafu recount the major events that had transpired across Honghuang during his closed-door cultivation!
"Great Ancestral Witch, that concludes my report on the major events across the Honghuang lands over these past years. Is there anything else you wish to know?"
After a moment, Houyi looked at Dijiang with admiration and asked!
"Nothing else. Oh right, Houyi, I hear you excel at archery, is that correct? I happen to have a supreme celestial artifact here called the Sun-Shooting Bow; I bestow it upon you as a reward for recounting these matters to me!"
Dijiang shook his head. Then, remembering that Houyi was destined to shoot down Dijun's nine sons in the future, he directly produced the Sun-Shooting Bow he had obtained from the System!
"Ah? Archery? Great Ancestral Witch, I don't know how to shoot bows!"
Houyi, however, was dumbfounded, asking with a bewildered expression!
"Indeed, Great Ancestral Witch! Like the rest of us, Houyi relies on his fists in a fight; he doesn't know how to use a bow!" Kuafu chimed in from the side, and even Jiufeng nodded along!
"You don't?"
Dijiang froze!
He thought to himself that surely Houyi hadn't learned archery yet. Even so, he smiled and said, "Ah, it's fine if you don't know—you can learn in the future. This item is yours now as a gift!"
With that, the celestial artifact Sun-Shooting Bow, along with its ten accompanying Extreme Yin Arrows, flew directly toward Houyi!
"The Great Ancestral Witch already knew I didn't know how to shoot, yet he still said I could learn. Could it be that he is trying to tell me I possess a hidden talent in this area? Yes, that must be it! I understand now, I understand!"
As Houyi gazed at the Sun-Shooting Bow, his mind raced until he finally accepted it respectfully and said, "Thank you for the reward, Great Ancestral Witch! Houyi understands, and will certainly not let down the Great Ancestral Witch's expectations!"
With those words, he took the bow and arrows and departed immediately!
Dijiang: "......"
What on earth do you understand? What kind of expectations did I put on you, damn it?
Yet he didn't dwell on it, instead turning his gaze to Kuafu and Jiufeng standing beside him and asking, "What about you two? What do you two want? I can't have you feeling I'm playing favorites, can I?"
Dijiang intended to treat everyone equally; after all, they were all his clansmen!
"We... we... we don't want anything. We want to... want to follow the Great Ancestral Witch!"
Jiufeng and Kuafu exchanged glances before speaking in soft voices!
Their Wu Clan revered the strong!
And as Great Witches, they were no exception!
Thus, having witnessed Dijiang's terrifying might, they naturally harbored the desire to follow him!
Only, they hadn't dared to voice it!
For one, they feared Dijiang's refusal!
And for another, they were terrified of angering their current Ancestral Witches!
After all, wanting to follow Dijiang was essentially equivalent to declaring that their current Ancestral Witches were somewhat lacking!
Yet now that Dijiang had raised the question himself, they naturally seized the opportunity to speak!
"Hm? Follow me?"
Dijiang's eyes widened as a major matter suddenly flashed through his mind—a major matter he seemed to have completely forgotten!